Scott Dimig ’06

Alumni, 10 Under 10

As vice president of Top 40 & Dance Promotion at Epic Records (a record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment), Scott Dimig is living his dream. “I get to spend time with some of the most talented people in music, and I couldn’t ask for anything else,” he said.

In his current role Dimig handles the radio promotions for Epic’s artists in the southeast, including Karmin, Cher Lloyd, Ca$h Out, The Script, Natasha Bedingfield, Incubus, Sean Kingston, Shakira and The Fray. “I go to radio stations with the records—months before listeners will hear them—and play them for the program and music directors, and try to get them on air. The main goal is: get your music played as much as possible to increase sales revenues,” said Mr. Dimig, who is also responsible for setting up promotions with the stations to get the audience involved. “You could win an album, iPod, a trip to see the band play or the chance to go backstage to meet the band.”

Mr. Dimig coordinates the artists’ promotional tours. “I just had The Fray and The Script here, and took them around the whole south. We went to radio stations and set up lounges where the band would play a private acoustic concert for 100 listeners who won the contest,” he said. “Then I introduce the listeners to the artists.”

He also handles Epic Records’ dance promotions throughout the United States. “This involves hiring remixers to do mixes to our current songs and promoting them to radio and club DJ’s to play on air and in clubs across the country,” he said.

Originally from Islip, New York, Mr. Dimig currently lives in Miami, Florida. He is the promotion manager in his home state, as well as North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Louisiana—which requires a lot of traveling. Last year he flew 139 times. “It’s kind of insane,” he said.

Traveling is a big part of his job, but it’s also the most challenging aspect. A newlywed (in April 2011 he married Elissa Markowitz, talent agent for Boca Talent & Model Agency Inc.), he tries to be home as often as possible. When he is, in addition to spending time with his wife, sailing or surfing, he plays lead guitar for a musical trio that supports Musicians On Call, an organization that brings live music to patients in healthcare facilities. “I try to play every Thursday I’m free. I go in and play at the Joe Dimaggio Children’s Hospital down here,” he said. “I usually play for 140 children and their families a night. It’s a really great thing to be a part of.”

An avid music enthusiast, Mr. Dimig’s ultimate career aspiration is to become the youngest president of a label at Sony Music; however, he considers his current position to be his greatest professional accomplishment to date. “This is where I always wanted to be, and I’m here, and I worked so hard to get here,” he said. “When everyone was together at parties, celebrating their senior year at Adelphi, I was working in New York City. That was hard at the time,” he said.

Throughout his four years at Adelphi, Mr. Dimig held several internships. A production assistant at MTV his freshman year, he worked at the MTV Beach House in the Hamptons, on Total Request Live (TRL), Say What? Karaoke and Direct Effect. From there he went on to intern at Columbia Records for Sony Music, working directly for the vice president of the record label. His next position was at EPIC Records—and by the first semester of his senior year at Adelphi, he was offered a full-time job with the company.

“Don’t wait until your last year to look for an internship,” he said—words of wisdom he has to offer current Adelphi students. “You don’t need to know what you want to do when you’re out the door, but the only way to learn what you’re interested in pursuing is to intern at a company and find out what you like or don’t like.”

He credits his alma mater with providing him with an educational experience that shaped him into the well-rounded person he is today. “At Adelphi, I had amazing professors who always encouraged me to become whatever I wanted to be. Adelphi helped me concentrate on my goals in the classroom, and gave me the freedom to go out and have real-world experiences interning with major music companies,” he said.

In addition to the hours he dedicated to internships, he still found time to be active on campus. He was a resident adviser in Waldo Hall for three years and the founding vice president of the fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa, held a scholarship in track and field and participated in every intramural sport on campus.

“Some students may go to Adelphi because it’s close to home or easy to get to,” he said. “I went to Adelphi for the whole experience. If you utilize all the resources the University has to offer, you can be the best you can be at Adelphi.”